Rachel's Sunset
by Shawms
Summary: Rachel Prince, a lonely, sad girl, is mocked and humiliated by every one at Kenneth Highschool. She has lived in Windsortown, NJ all her life and lives with her single mother, a nurse. She is unhappy until a mysterious family comes and changes her life.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel's Sunset

Chapter 1

The before-school hangout ritual in the bleachers was a must for everyone at Kenneth High School. The Jocks threw around their footballs, the preps talked about their bra sizes, the burnouts smoke pot under the benches. You get the picture. Rachel Prince sat by herself, eating a bagel. Actually, every day Rachel Prince sat by herself, eating a bagel. New Jersey public high schools are hard enough places to succeed. Rachel was smart. She had the grades, but virtually no social skills. She was not fat, but not skinny. Her complexion was a milky one, and her heart shaped, occasionally pimpled face was framed by long locks of thick, blond- red hair. She had these big, annoyingly bright blue eyes that were always staring but never really seeing.

The football field below was chaos, as it was every morning. Rachel watched as Valentina Valencia ran up to Mick Jorgen, the star line –back of the football team, and smashed her inflated lips against his own. Every one knew that Valentina was Jorgen's booty call, though they never said it out loud. People at Kenneth High treated moral wonders like these like they were gods. Rachel rolled her eyes and returned her attention to a blob of cream cheese that fell on her over- sized Rutgers hoodie.

There were only ten minutes till first period, thank God. Rachel looked up at the sky. It was that sun- reflected cloudy kind of sky you only see in the fall. It was only October. Eight months till summer. Eight months till London and Dublin. Then its three glorious months away from Jersey and Windsortown and every shallow person that ever crossed its borders.

"Nice Jimmy Choos, Rache."

Rachel looked up and saw Valentina, standing in front of her.

"What?" she sputtered stupidly.

Valentina only snickered and flounced away with her body guards, Tia and Roni. Rachel looked down at her red crocs and flushed. She hated Valentina. What has she ever done to her?

She looked out into the field, imagining herself going up to Valentina and smacking her across her spray- tanned face when she saw them. They entered the bleachers in a pageant like gracefulness, their steps in perfect unison. Rachel leaned forward, watching them still. There were six of them, three guys and three girls. The guys were all tall, perfect. One of them was big, like a body builder, with dark cherub curls on his head. The one next to him was the same height, broad shouldered, and blond. But the third guy was the most interesting looking, almost beautiful. He looked like an Italian renaissance painting of a biblical character, with tussled mahogany hair and an angelic smile.

The girls just made Rachel want to scream. They were all absolutely gorgeous. There was a tall, supermodel blond, a dazzling fairy with short black hair, and a brunette so hauntingly, so terrifyingly beautiful that Rachel felt chills soar down her spine.

They were like movie stars, the way they swaggered in accord, the way they smiled at each other. The angel boy leaned over and whispered intimately into the brunette's ear. She laughed quietly. They walked right past her, and Rachel could smell them. They all had this floral musk about them. A very addicting smell. But the one extraordinary thing about them was their complexion. They all had this pale, ivory tone that would have looked sallow on any body else. They reminded Rachel of Kyle.

Kyle was this kid who lived near Rachel. She didn't know where he lived, or who his parents were, or even his last name. But he was dazzling, like these six. Eerily like them, almost. Rachel met while walking home, and he followed her. Talked to her. Towards the end, he was menacing, so Rachel threatened to call the police, but she was addicted to him. She always thought about him, always wondered about him. Every now and then she would run into him, and they would talk until he frightened her, and she would walk away. She knew it was crazy and unhealthy, and dangerous, but she had to be near him. Now that she thought about it, Kyle was just like these people. Who were they? Where were they from?

A seventh joined their party now. Another sparkling girl. Yet she seemed more normal, more…human. She wasn't impossibly pale, she had beautiful coral cheeks and long dark curls cascading down her back. She wasn't so graceful either. She even seemed slightly clumsy. But she was too stunning for Rachel to think of her as a klutz. Finally, the bell rang, and Rachel forced herself to get up and begin this never ending day.

And boy, did it go by slowly. When last period finally came, Rachel was exhausted and couldn't even remember the angels in the bleachers. Then the door opened in the beginning of her Geometry class. Mr. Mitt was selling brownies at his desk, as he did every Wednesday. The curly- haired girl came inside. Rachel was surprised to see her.

"Who's _she_?" Valentina sneered to Tia. Tia shrugged and continued to examine her fake nail. Rachel watched Curly as she approached the desk.

"Excuse me," she said in an pretty, girly voice, "I'm new hear, and…"

"Ah, yes, I know, "said Mr. Mitt, getting out his grade book, "It's Collin, right?"

"Cullen," the girl corrected sweetly, "it's confusing."

Mr. Mitt smiled, "Well, Ms. Cullen, I can put you right next to Ms. Prince in the back there, the redhead."

Rachel was startled into sitting up as the girl called Ms. Cullen sat down next to her. Rachel saw that her eyes were a chocolaty brown.

"Hi," she said, grinning, "I'm Nessie."

Nessie. What kind of a name was that? Polish? Scottish? Definitely Scottish.

Rachel smiled shyly and said, "I'm Rachel." _Imaginative_, she thought bitterly to herself. She wasn't used to introducing herself to people. Usually, someone did it for her.

Nessie nodded, "Nice to meet you Rachel. I think I saw you in the bleachers this morning.

Rachel nodded, surprised still. This girl had noticed her. Before she even knew it, she was talking to this strange, wonderful person.

"So, where are you from?" she asked quietly.

"Washington," Nessie said.

"D.C. or state?" Rachel asked, feeling even more adventurous.

"State," Nessie giggled, "my family is pretty reclusive."

Rachel nodded, and returned her attention to her notes.

"Are you from here?" Nessie inquired a few minutes later.

"Yeah…" Rachel replied. _And never anywhere else_.

The period ended, as with school. Rachel and Nessie rose at the same time. Rachel frowned inwardly at this girl's beauty once again. It simply wasn't fair that she was so pretty and Rachel was so plain. They chatted all the way down the hall and stopped in front of Rachel's locker.

Nessie pulled out an expensive looking cell phone, "Can I have your number?"

"W-What?" Rachel stammered. No one ever asked her for her number before.

"Your number," Nessie grinned, "so we can text!"

"Oh…" Rachel and Nessie exchanges numbers. _That makes three now_, Rachel thought. _Grandma, Mom, now Nessie. _

"Thanks," she said.

Then she saw the rest of the Cullens coming down the hall way.

"Ness!" the angelic brunette called, "Come on, we're leaving!"

"Coming!" Nessie shouted back. Then she turned to Rachel, "See ya later!"

She glided down the hallway, waved at Rachel again, and disappeared with the others. The only one that lingered was the brunette. Rachel went hot with flush when she realized that this beautiful creature was glaring at her murderously. Rachel, following her instincts, dropped her gaze to the floor. _What was her problem??_

The walk home was long and soggy. No Kyle today. Rachel lived in a two family house with her mother. It was tall and gray and boring. She walked up to her door, number 476, and had to slam her entire body against the door to get it open. Everything inside was cluttered and smelt like cigarette smoke, (the family on the other side of the house smoked constantly. Carmine, their Pug- Chihuahua mix, came scuttling up to see her.

"Hey body," Rachel murmured, picking up the little dog and burying her face in his short fur. Then the vibrating came. An unexpected sound. Rachel put Carmine on the floor and took out her phone

Hi, it read, how was school?

Rachel smiled to herself. Her first text. She struggled at putting a word together on a keyboard of numbers, but managed to type out, Good. You?

They texted for a long time until the door opened.

"Hello? Rache?"

"I'm here, Mom!" Rachel called, shutting her phone abruptly. Marie Prince came into the room. She was a large woman, rather short, with hair dyed strawberry blond to hide the grays, and a personality dyed pink to hide the bitterness. She was angry because Rachel's dad, Joe, left her for an Italian photographer, Fernando. She never trusted a man again. She was a nurse.

"How was school?" she asked genuinely as she began assembling her Ramen Noodles supper.

"Good," Rachel replied automatically. There was no point in mentioning anything else.

"There was a new doctor at the hospital today," Marie went on, "Carlisle Cullen. My God, Hon, if you saw him you'd never look at Brad Pitt again. I was blushing all day!"

"Cullen?" Rachel asked, surprised.

"Yeah," she said, "his younger siblings are at Ken. D'ja see 'em?"

"N-not that I can remember…" Rachel said quickly.

"Maybe they took the day off to get settled…" Marie pondered, "O well… I'm gonna take a shower. Watch my water for me? Yell when it boils."

"Sure, "Rachel said.

Marie began to walk toward the stairs, then stopped.

"You sure your day was good?"

"Yeah!" Rachel said, smiling. It had been, too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was cold and sunny. Rachel walked with her head down, as usual. She just got her winter coat out of the closet; it had been the first really cold day of the year. But it always got cold early in Northern New Jersey, even if it was only November. It was Saturday. It had been a whole week since she had seen Nessie, or any of the other Cullens for that matter. It had been a lonely week. Since that first week in October when the Cullens showed up, Rachel hadn't felt so alone before. Not to be cliché or anything, but Nessie was the best first friend a girl could ask for.

But she stopped coming to school a week ago. They were _all_ away. It was so weird…

Rachel was walking to Path Mark to pick up some marshmallows. She had promised Marie that she would make Rice Crispy treats. She came into the store and looked around. It smelt like over moisturized vegetables and ammonia. Typical grocery store smell. She stalked through the aisles, looking for the marshmallows, when she saw Mick Jorgen, Tom Lange, and Jason Arupa standing in front of the very shelf she needed.

_Great_, she thought, _just what I need_. "Excuse me."

"O, look who it is, guys," Jorgen said in a mock surprised voice, "Oink Prince. Hey Oink, what's up?"

Rachel fought the burning tears back that were already on the way, "Move, Mick. Please."

"Oink, don't be like that," Lange taunted, "we just wanna hang out with you!"

"Yeah, baby Oink," Arupa chimed, "what do you need?"

"The marshmallows," Rachel said through gritted teeth. The tears were very close now.

"Marshmallows, huh?" Jorgen said, picking up a back of the white, fluffy things, "You should really lay off the stuff, Oink. They just make you bigger and bigger."

"My- name- isn't – Oink!" Rachel cried. _Great comeback_, she thought bitterly as she made a grab for the bag. They laughed at her. They always did. _Screw it_. She turned around, and as soon as the automatic doors parted in front of her, the sobs came. She walked down the frigid streets of Windsortown, wailing like a banshee. She could hear Jorgen and his comrades howling with laughter at her.

"What a dumb bitch," Arupa said.

"Kyle," she murmered thickly threw her sobs, "Kyle, Kyle, Kyle…"

She walked on, and the sky became more and more overcast. She was almost on her street when she heard the familiar voice that she hadn't heard in such a long time.

"Rachel?"

She spun around so quickly that she fell on her rear- end. It was Kyle, the dazzling, amazing, terrifying Kyle. He was graceful, he was pale, he was amber eyed, and he was yellow- haired. She loved him and hated him at the same time.

"What are you doing," he demanded, floating toward her. He held out one of his freezing, stony hands. Rachel hesitated, then reached up and took it. Kyle pulled her up on to her feet and studied her face with his extraordinary eyes for a minute.

"You've been crying," he stated in his melodious voice, "what happened?"

Rachel quickly wiped away the moisture from her eyes, "Nothing," she muttered.

"I heard you calling me, so I came to find you." He was squeezing her arm very tightly now.

"Kyle, that's my arm," Rachel squealed, "you're gonna bruise me!"

"Who made you cry?" Kyle demanded angrily, "I swear I'll kill 'em!" His eyes were darting around wildly, and he looked crazed. Rachel didn't doubt he was going to do something awful.

"Kyle! Let go!" she pleaded, "I'll call the police, let go!"

Kyle gave her a murderous look, and for a minute Rachel thought he was going to hit her or something.

But then, that beautiful, girly voice spoke out of the blue, "Let her go."

Rachel looked up and saw Nessie, standing not ten feet from her, looking glorious and lethal. Beside her was her tall, blond brother. She looked back at Kyle. He looked furious and terrified at the same time.

"This is none of your business," he spat, "go back to your hole!"

Then Nessie's brother came forward and said in a soft, deadly voice, "Be careful what you say, Kyle. You wouldn't want to say anything in front of the girl that you'll regret. Now let her go."

Rachel suddenly felt very calm and together as Kyle slowly let go of her arm. He took a step back, and began to walk away.

"She's mine, you know," he called to them, "she always has been!"

Nessie stuck her tongue at him, then threw her arms around Rachel.

"O, my Gawd!" she shrieked, "Thank God your okay!"

Rachel buried her face in Nessie's curls for a minute, then finally stood up straight, feeling very safe as the blond walked toward them cautiously.

"O, I forgot," Nessie crowed, "Rachel this is my… brother, Jasper."

Jasper was looking at Rachel curiously. He slowly approached her, and Rachel noticed with a gasp that his eyes were golden, just like Kyle's.

"Hello, Rachel," he said soothingly, holding out his hand for her.

"Hi," Rachel replied shyly, shaking his hand, It was freezing, like Kyle's. He looked like Hercules.

"Are you alright?" he asked, "did he hurt you?"

"Who? Rachel sputtered, realizing that he was talking to her, "Kyle?" Jasper nodded.

"Yes," he said, "did he hurt you?"

"How do you know Kyle?" Rachel asked, surprised, "he's kinda… reclusive."

"We've had a few run-ins," Jasper said, "Um, Ness, I think we should take Rachel home with us. She's been through quite an ordeal and Carlisle should probably look at her. For signs of shock."

"Oh, no," Rachel said quickly, alarmed, "I don't need it, really, Kyle just gets excited, and -"

"Shut up, Rache," Nessie said, "Jasper's right. C'mon…"

And before Rachel knew it, she was being towed away by Nessie to a glossy Ferrari. Rachel gasped when she saw it. Her dad used to love Ferraris…

After they were all in, Jasper made a groaning noise, "We shouldn't have taken Bella's car," he moaned, "She's going to be _very_ upset…"

"Aw, she'll get over it," Nessie chimed as she clicked on her seat belt, "we needed a car, and her and Dad have been out hunting all day-" then she clamped her hand over her mouth with a gasp, as if she had said way too much. Jasper gave her a warning look as he pulled out of the parking spot.

Rachel quietly protested the whole way to the Cullens' house. She didn't need attention ,and she didn't need that brunette glaring at her…

They were soon on the highway toward Moorestown, in the middle of the pine barrens. _Where do these people live?! _Rachel thought as they sped on. The whole ride, Nessie kept turning around to Rachel and demanding if she was okay. What they didn't seem to understand was that this was typical Kyle behavior. He always freaked her out after making her feel safe, secure… it was sick.

Jasper finally made a turn so sharp that Rachel fell over on to her side.

"Oops," Jasper said, "sorry." _This guy drives like a maniac!!!!!_

But then she saw the house. It stood on the hill's summit, hidden by lilac bushes and sugar maple trees all looking spectacular in the fall foliage. It looked old. Like an original colonial. It had five gables and many, many windows. The driveway was winding, like a haunted house's. But it didn't look like a haunted house at all. Jasper recklessly parked the Ferrari and he and Nessie fluidly climbed out. Rachel tripped her way into the driveway, and walked side by side with Nessie up to the door. Jasper opened it, and in they stepped.

It was the most beautiful, the most elegant, and the most floral house Rachel had ever been in. Every niche had a vase of flowers in it. There were paintings and sculptures and old tables everywhere. Jasper threw his keys on the table. "Carlisle?" he called.

"I'm right here," said a calm, soothing voice. A tall, pale, god of a man came ghosting out of another room, accompanied by the painting boy Rachel had been admiring before.

"Hello, Rachel," Carlisle said, "I am Carlisle Cullen. You have already met Nessie and Jasper. This is Edward," he gestured to the painting boy. He nodded at her, and smiled. Rachel returned it, then blushed at the richly carpeted floor.

"Come to my office," Carlisle said. Rachel flashed Nessie a desperate look before she followed Carlisle down the long, narrow hall. The pixie girl came out of one of the rooms.

"Oh!" she gasped, then smiled at Rachel. "Hi! I'm Alice." Rachel was about to respond, but Carlisle was already dragging her by the hand to a remarkable library of a room. "Sit down," he said calmly.

Rachel did, and Carlisle seated himself at the monstrous desk across from her.

"So," he said, "Tell me what happened. Jasper wasn't very specific."

"It was just Kyle," Rachel said quietly, "it's what he does. Freaks people out. He does it to me a lot, but he doesn't mean any harm." _Or maybe…_

"And this Kyle," Carlisle went on, "Are you friends?"

"Sort of…we're more acquaintances…he's really nice."

"Nice? I never really think of a pressing, frightening young man as nice… did he try anything with you? You can tell me."

Rachel looked up, "You mean, like sexual? No! No, nothing like that. There's nothing wrong, Doctor, I'm serious!"

"Alright," Carlisle said, not believing, "Just be careful."

-Thank you soo much for your support! I'll keep em coming!!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

~Sorry for the wait!!!!! Enjoy!!

"He's really something."

Nessie and Rachel were sitting in their English class, gawking over a picture of Nessie's boyfriend. He was a bronze skinned, black haired guy who looked like he could be half- Asian or Hispanic.

"What's his name again?" Rachel asked, leaning over so she could see the picture more clearly on Nessie's phone screen.

"Jacob," Nessie said dreamily, "Jacob Black." Black. Definitely not Filipino…

"His dad's the chief of the Quileute tribe, in case you were wondering," Nessie added helpfully. Native American. Cool. It would only make sense that someone as beautiful and outgoing as Nessie would have a boyfriend as wild and handsome as this…

"Ms. Cullen, Ms. Prince," Mrs. Fletcher, their round, dull English teacher was staring at them impatiently, "do you have anything to add on _Sense and Sensibility_?"

"No, ma'am," Nessie said quickly, silently snapping her phone shut, "we were just discussing the literary differences between Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë." _Show off._

"Please be quiet," Mrs. Fletcher said in her most offended sounding voice.

School ended with a bang. Literally. There was a thunder storm. Nessie and Rachel walked outside, and Nessie continued to pressure Rachel.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride? It's poring!"

Rachel chuckled, "I'm sure, I love the rain." _I don't want to be in the same car as all of your siblings who hate my guts for no apparent reason._ "Really."

"Fine," Nessie said skeptically. They hugged quickly, and she darted for a huge jeep parked in front of the school. The other Cullens were waiting. The brunette was glaring at Rachel again. She lifted her hood and began the walk home.

Geometry homework was dull and unfulfilling. Rachel got up and pressed the answering machine button.

"You Have…One Unheard Message…"said the characterless woman's voice, "First…Unheard Message: 'Hey Hon it's Mom. Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, but I have to take a double shift tonight. Clara is in Bermuda for a week. I won't be home till eleven. There's some money in the box for pizza. Love you, see you later' BEEEEEEP. End… Of Messages…"

Rachel groaned and deleted her mother's message. It was going to be another lonely night in Princeville. Population: One. Just then, Carmine began growling at the door, and then he fled at lightening speed up the stairs.

"Carm?" Rahcel called, "Carm, come back!" But at that exact minute, the door bell rang. Rachel's heart skipped a beat. It could be Kyle, and he could be in some kind of deranged mood. Rachel looked out the window, and saw the sleek Ferrari she had been in two weeks before. Could it be Nessie?

Rachel approached the door and slowly opened it, and she stopped breathing. There, on her porch, was the gorgeous brunette sister of Nessie's. She was wearing a long, gray felt coat and a pair of large, white framed sunglasses. Rachel blinked.

"Rachel Prince?" she rang in an attractive voice.

"Y-Yes?" Rachel stammered uncertainly, hiding half of her body behind the door.

"Hello" she said coolly, without smiling, "I'm Bella Cullen. Can I come in for a minute?"

Rachel took in a large amount of air as she nodded and allowed this nymph inside. Bella entered and did not take off her coat. She didn't take off her coat, or anything. She just slid her sunglasses off and revealed a pair of eyes the color of white wine. Rachel wasn't surprised at this point after she saw Jasper and Carlisle.

"Can I g-get you anything?" Rachel stuttered, "water or anything?"

Bella smiled to herself as if she was remembering a joke someone told her once.

"No," she said, "I'm here to talk to you about Nessie."

"Is she alright?!" Rachel demanded, (very uncharacteristically Rachel), "did something happen to her?"

"No, no," Bella said calmly, though not without a hint of distaste, "I need to talk to you all the same. Can we sit down?"

Rachel nodded stupidly and led Bella into the living room. She took a pile of newspapers off the couch and pointed at the seat. Bella gingerly sat on the cushions and sat perfectly still. Rachel sat in the love seat across from her, and noticed that her knees were shaking.

"I love Nessie very much," Bella began, "but she has a bad habit of…messing things up."

"Messing things up?" Rachel inquired, moving up in her seat as if she needed a better view of the situation.

"She never told you why we moved here, did she?" said Bella. Rachel shook her head.

"Then I'll tell you. We lived in a small town in Washington. We had a gorgeous house in the woods, we had friends everywhere. If you haven't noticed already, we're not exactly the ordinary kind of people…But our lives were seemingly perfect.

"I can't reveal to you too much of what happened, but there are certain things that were revealed that shouldn't have been revealed, and certain things happened that shouldn't have happened. We had to leave Forks- our town- for a while. That's why we're here."

Rachel sat quietly for a minute, and then looked up at Bella's immaculate face, which had a pained expression on it.

"I came here to tell you that Nessie isn't good for you. She's a wonderful person, but there a people who don't understand what kind of people we are, and that can lead to definite destruction. Stay away from her. Consider this my warning. If you ignore me, you'll regret it." Bella rose flawlessly and turned toward the door. Rachel sat motionless, a hot feeling forming in the back of her head.

"I'm not kidding," Bella said, "if there's any interaction between you, I'll make sure we move back to Washington."

Rachel stumbled up to her feet and cried, "Please! Don't say that! I need her! I need a friend! You can't take her way from me!"

There was a glimmer of something on that angel's face…was it remorse,? Pity? Whatever it was, Bella didn't linger on it for long. She turned to the door and exited the house without another word.

**...............**

Rachel lay curled up on the couch. Her eyes were still stinging from the tears. Why was she so upset? It's not as if she'd known Nessie all that long, she'd get over it. So she was going to be alone again, what was the big deal?

_You'll be alone again. You won't have a buffer. Alone, Alone, Alone, Alone._

"SHUT UP!" Rachel yelled out loud at herself. _I have to get out of here. I have to leave_.

Rachel grabbed her jacket and left the house. It was still damp from the rain, and brisk. Very Novermer-ish. She crammed her hands in her pockets as she turned the corner. Her hair bounced against her shoulders. A breeze tickled her chin with it. The sky was clearing up; she could see the stars.

Rachel decided she was going to live with her dad in Milan. He would be thrilled to see her, and she needed to get out of Windsortown. But she couldn't do that to Marie. The woman was already left by one of the people she loved, and with Rachel's sister in college, she would be totally alone.

But it was her fault that Rachel was like this. She was the one that made her so bitter, so shy, and so awkward… Rachel flicked her head, banishing these thoughts to Hades, and continued to walk. She turned another corner towards the Morris Woods. She slipped in between the cedar trees, and carefully stepped over the twigs and leaves until she found a stump. She sat down on the damp wood and glared at a small puddle.

Time seemed to stand still as Rachel cleared her head of the day's turmoil. She closed her eyes and sighed. Then she heard the breathing. She turned her head slowly, knowing exactly who it was.

Kyle was standing not five feet from her, his pale skin and hair almost glowing in the darkness. His face looked almost childish tonight, innocent; almost afraid_. You won't be alone_, Rachel realized, as she slowly got up_, you'll never be alone._

"Hi," she said quietly as she approached him. Kyle was stiff, unmoving, the fear in his ocher eyes very apparent now.

"Kyle?" Rachel said, concerned, "Kyle what's wrong?"

"You're so sheltered," he murmured, lifting a cold finger to her forehead and softly bringing it down to her chin. Rachel shivered. "You don't know anything about the world, the kind of creatures that live in it."

He's gone insane, Rachel thought, he needs me. She took a step closer to him.

"Kyle," she whispered, "are you okay? Can I get you anything?"

He didn't say anything, but leaned toward her, closer to her face. Rachel was burning. Her first kiss! She had been dreaming of this moment for as long as she could remember. She hoped her breath was okay…

Kyle turned his face toward her throat, his eyes rolling up in the back of his head. She could see the whites of his eyes. But he wasn't going to kiss her. He opened his mouth and closed hiss lips over her Eve's Apple. She could feel his teeth break the skin.

"Ow! _KYLE_!" Rachel screamed, louder more terrified then ever before. Kyle pulled away, groaning with anguish, his pallid face smeared with her blood…

"I'm sorry, Rachel," he moaned, "I'm so, so sorry…"

She felt the burning. It was like she swallowed a gallon of kerosene, then a match. Her eyes weren't seeing anything, her knees buckled. She couldn't hear anything. All of her senses were shut down.. Kyle must have thrown her on a campfire or something. Why, why, why had she been so stupid? He was a crazy sketch ball! Now Marie would be alone, she would have no one. At least Bella Cullen would be happy, no more freak to mess up her sister.

She screamed out, trying to let someone know… maybe someone could help her. Sure, she would be stuck with life ruining burns for the rest of her life, but at least she would be alive.

Rachel imagined herself on the Oprah show. Oprah would ask her about her trials, how she and Marie got through it together.

But Rachel couldn't hear herself scream. She writhed and twisted on the forest floor… or at least she thought it was the forest floor…

After a while, Rachel convinced herself that this was hell, a blind, deaf burning for eternity. Kyle must have killed her. But what had she done wrong? Wasn't there a heavenly trial where God told her what she did?

A while passed… it could have been days, weeks. But the blazing finally stopped. The deafness disappeared, and Rachel was lying down on something soft. A cloud? Was she in heaven now?

"Is she awake yet?' sounded a familiar voice. Nessie!!! They had found her. Carlisle must have fixed her up… she was probably in the hospital. Mom was probably there, too. She would be fine…

"I think so," said a male's voice. Carlisle? Jasper? "She's stopped wincing. I don't think the morphine was as effective on her as it was on Bella."

Bella? Was she burnt to a crisp too? Rachel felt a soft, cool hand slide across her forehead.

"She's dazzling," Someone else mumbled, "I always wanted red hair."

"Esme, your hair is beautiful," Carlisle's voice said.

_Okay, Rache. Time to open your eyes. Whatever you see, don't worry. Burns heal. At least your hair is still red._

Rachel forced her eyes open, and saw Carlisle standing cautiously over her. He looked surprised to see her awake.

"Hello, Rachel," he said brightly. But Rachel didn't think. She found herself sailing toward him in a cat like ounce, a untamed snarl tearing through her lips.

……..


End file.
